Breitling Flies with new Aerospace Red Arrows Special Edition Watch

A new Red Arrows special edition watch has arrived from Breitling in the form of the iconic Aerospace watch. With an analogue and digital display adorned with the Red Arrows Diamond Nine emblem in its signature red colour, one of these 350 limited edition pieces is sure to make a great investment for any avid collector.

Imbued with plenty of mechanical virtue, Breitling’s relationship with the Royal Air Force continues with yet another captivating Red Arrows timepiece. Up to now, one of our favourites by far has to be the Breitling Chronomat Red Arrows Limited Edition watch released last year. It showcased a total of nine red Hawk T1 planes upon a deep blue dial along with a sleek black trio of chronograph dials for effortless stopwatch timings. Breitling went on to specialise in aviation watches after it mastered the chronograph complication during the 1930s and began supplying several armed forces, including the British Royal Air Force, with onboard flight chronographs.

Enjoying close ties with the Swiss watch manufacturer, the Red Arrows team of elite aerobatics certainly appreciates the importance of precision and accurate timing, just like Breitling itself. Thus what better sponsor to have than the successful watch brand that is renowned for its iconic pilot watch designs? The Chronomat Red Arrows Limited Edition timepiece, recognized for its unique bezel with rider tabs and its beautiful Rouleaux bracelet made especially for the range, was a sturdy, classic and highly desirable collectable. But now, reformed into the Aerospace watch, Breitling dedicates this new watch to the Red Arrows squadron in a whole new way, paying tribute to all those with a shared passion for aviation and precision.

The Breitling and Royal Air Force partnership

Breitling’s onboard chronographs supplied to the Royal Air Force during the 1930s were an integral part of cockpit kit. State-of-the-art Swiss technology meant that these chronographs could carry out precise calculations of speed, fuel and distance. The Hawk fast jets of the Red Arrows squadron have become the world’s premier aerobatics display team and have been collaborating with Breitling for the past three decades, creating timepieces reliable enough to ensure accuracy in some of the most demanding of conditions.

The significance of the Aerospace watch

Breitling’s Aerospace watch was launched back in 1985 and became an instant success thanks to its easy-wearing and easy-to-operate design. Fast-jet pilots turned to this wristwatch for assistance with their advanced control systems, using its simple crown feature to smoothly operate its many functions. Although incredibly strong, the titanium case of the Breitling Aerospace watch is remarkably light on the wrist, making it a comfortable companion for hours and hours of flight navigation.

The new Breitling Aerospace Red Arrows Limited Edition watch

The debut Breitling Aerospace Red Arrows Limited Edition watch is exclusive to just 350 pieces worldwide and boasts the distinctive Diamond Nine emblem celebrated by the aerobatics team on the surface of its captivating blue dial. Gavin Murphy, the Managing Director of Breitling explains a little more about the importance of this new release and the brand’s collaboration with the Red Arrows: "We are proud that Breitling and the Red Arrows have one of the longest-running relationships between a watch brand and a military display team. A relationship built on shared values, precision timing and excellence and a trust in our designs and functionality, as the pilots continue to wear our watches whilst testing the limits in their breath-taking displays. This Aerospace – elevated with Red Arrows insignia - is a long-requested edition that we have great pleasure in making available to the public for the first time.”

In addition to this, Squadron Leader Tom Bould, Red 1 and Team Leader of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team give their view on the collaboration: " Timing is critical to the world-class, dynamic displays and colourful flypasts synonymous with the Red Arrows. The team has to arrive at the right place, at the right time anywhere around the world, to the second – often with millions watching in-person or many more enjoying the performances via global media coverage. This precision and attention-to-detail are hallmarks shared by the Red Arrows and Breitling. But our mutual dedication and focus goes further than that. We’re pleased to have such a longstanding relationship with another organisation that understands how to combine this unrelenting requirement for precision with creativity, innovation and style."

The design of the new Breitling Aerospace Red Arrows Special Edition watch keeps its popular retro styling with the instantly recognizable oversized Arabic numerals at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock. The Diamond Nine trademark of the Red Arrows team is displayed at the 3 o’clock location in its vibrant signature red colour. The crown-activated functions offer control over a 1/100th of a second chronograph, countdown timer, second time zone, alarm, audible time signal (minute repeater), calendar, and a backlighted LCD digital display. Meanwhile, the unique blue colour of the Aerospace watch’s dial provides optimum contrast against the LCD digital display with a display backlight and EOL indicator.

Crafted once again from lightweight titanium, the new Breitling Aerospace Red Arrows Special Edition watch measures a diameter of 43mm. Water-resistant to 100 meters, the limited-to-350-pieces watch features a sapphire crystal glass front with glare-proof treatment applied to both sides. The satin-brushed titanium caseback showcases a unique engraving of the Eclat crest upon its surface.  An officially chronometer-certified SuperQuartz™ calibre is equipped to the heart of this watch, protected inside a water-tight environment that is strengthened by the use of a non-screw locked crown with two gaskets and an integrated pushpiece. Additional features of the new Breitling Aerospace Red Arrows Special Edition watch include a unidirectional ratcheted bezel and a tough, scratch-resistant three-row brushed titanium bracelet with a folding clasp.

If you’d like more information on the new Breitling Aerospace Red Arrows Special Edition watch, you can check out the full spec list here online at Jura Watches, or speak with a member of our sales team today on 01335 453453